Sarah McLachlan cancels musical performance at Lilith Fair doc premiere

Singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan is photographed on the red carpet for the film "Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery" during the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto, on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sammy Kogan

TORONTO — Sarah McLachlan cancelled musical performances planned for the Sunday premiere of her Lilith Fair documentary in Los Angeles, saying it was a gesture of solidarity to support free speech.

The Halifax-born singer-songwriter took the stage before the screening of “Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery,” telling the crowd that she and her fellow musicians had “collectively decided not to perform.”

The music documentary premiered on CBC and CBC Gem in Canada and is distributed in the U.S. by ABC News Studios and Hulu, both of which are owned by Disney.

Last week, the company became embroiled in controversy over its decision to pull late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel from its ABC stations.

The move came after he suggested in his monologue that some supporters of the Make America Great Again movement were trying to capitalize on the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Disney pulled the plug on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” after two companies that operate a quarter of its ABC affiliates said they would no longer air the show, and Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr suggested his agency would look into what he said.

Reaction was swift as fellow comedians and actors came to his defence as part of a broader debate over free speech and media control.

On Monday, ABC ended Jimmy’s suspension, saying the show would return on Tuesday night.

“Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery” marked its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month, while the screening on Sunday in L.A. was part of Disney’s promotional launch stateside.

The Hollywood Reporter said the premiere hosted a red carpet, but it did not include journalists. It also cited sources who said McLachlan and Jewel were the artists set to take the stage, while Puck reporter Matt Belloni said Olivia Rodrigo was expected to be a surprise performer.

Rodrigo also appears in the documentary about the all-women music festival from the late 1990s.

McLachlan did not directly reference the Kimmel controversy in her speech or the documentary’s connections to Disney.

“It’s a gift for all of us to see (this film), but also I’ve grappled with being here tonight and around what to say about the present situation that we are all faced with, the stark contraction to the many advances we’ve made watching the insidious erosion of women’s rights, of trans and queer rights, the muzzling of free speech,” McLachlan was quoted in the Hollywood Reporter as saying.

A spokesperson for McLachlan declined to comment but said the trade publication’s story was accurate.

“I think we’re all fearful for what comes next, and none of us know, but what I do know is that I have to keep pushing forward as an artist, as a woman to find a way through, and though I don’t begin to know what the answer is, I believe we all need to work towards a softening to let in the possibility of a better way, because I see music as a bridge to our shared humanity, to finding common ground.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 22, 2025.

David Friend, The Canadian Press